However, the prospect of the Google-backed Android on both smartphones and MIDs is inevitably going to have manufacturers salivating.

Welcome support

"We welcome Nvidia's support of Android on Tegra and we look forward to many more Android-based devices that deliver an outstanding consumer experience," said Andy Rubin, Google's Senior Director of Mobile Platforms.

The decision to support Android makes the entire Tegra platform more attractive to manufacturers – who can choose between Microsoft's operating system or what is ostensibly Google's.

'By supporting Android, manufacturers and operators can now easily use a Tegra processor to build mobile phones with advanced user experiences that leverage web and internet content and provide services such as mobile mash-ups and location-based applications,' explains Nvidia's press release.